Workpieces, such as sheet metal, can be fabricated into a wide range of useful products. The fabrication (i.e., manufacturing) processes commonly employed involve making various bends and/or forming holes in the workpieces. The equipment used for such processes involve many types, including turret presses and other industrial presses (such as single-station presses), Trumpf style machines and other rail type systems, press brakes, sheet feed systems, coil feed systems, and other types of fabrication equipment adapted for punching or pressing operations.
Concerning press brakes, they are equipped with a lower table and an upper table, and are commonly used for deforming workpieces. One of the tables (typically the upper table) is configured to be vertically movable toward the other table. Forming tools are mounted to the tables so that when one table is brought toward the other, a workpiece positioned there between can be bent into an appropriate shape. Typically, the upper table includes a male forming tool (a punch) having a bottom workpiece-deforming surface (such as a V-shaped surface), and the bottom table has an appropriately-shaped female tool (a die) having an upper surface vertically aligned with the workpiece-deforming surface of the male tool.
Continuing with press brakes, forming tools must be carefully mounted on a press brake in order to machine (e.g., bend) workpieces positioned there between to precise specifications. To that end, a forming tool has to be properly located and seated on the upper table (or lower table, as the case dictates) to enable such precise machining One conventional method for properly seating tools with press brake tables has involved loosely retaining a shank or tang of a tool in a holder coupled to one of the tables, and moving the table in a downward (or upward) direction until the tip of the tool abuts the other table. In such case, the tool can be correspondingly pushed against the load-delivering surface of the tool holder, and thereby seated in relation to the tool holder. In turn, the tool can be secured to the holder in such seated position. Unfortunately, while generally effective, this method has been found to be time-consuming. As such, more modern methods have involved using mechanisms with such holders to assist in locating and seating tools thereon. However, there remains room for improvement even with designs involving such mechanisms.
As is known, forming tools are generally defined with mounting and working portions. Typically, these portions are defined at opposing ends of the tools, with the mounting portion often involving a shank of the tool. In many cases, tool shanks are defined with a notch or groove therein for use in retaining the tool on a tool holder (wherein such holder is mounted to industrial machine or equipment, e.g., a table of a press brake). Such notches or grooves can be formed in a variety of shapes and sizes, and permit entry of a key of the tool holder therein such that the holder retains the tool prior to the tool being secured and thereby seated on the holder. To that end, the engagement between key and notch/groove is also facilitated prior to the tool being removed from the holder. As such, the notch or groove provides a safety feature for the tool, whereby the tool would not release from its engagement with key of the tool holder without further act (e.g., rotation of the tool) by the operator. Regarding some tools, notches are defined therein to have squared-off edges. In such cases, an upper shoulder of such notch is often defined to be a set vertical distance from further tool surface intended to receive loading from the tool holder. This set distance is generally referred to as the tool's “notch distance.” However, as described above, the shape of the notch can vary (e.g., so as to not to be entirely squared-off), and in such cases, the notch distance can be measured from the lowest point of contact of tool holder key within tool notch to the load-receiving surface of the tool.
Regarding such notch distances, they have generally become standardized in the industry. For example, some tool types have been designed to have notch distances measuring about 12.5 mm or about 13 mm; although notch distances are known to vary depending on the manufacturer of the tool and the design of industrial machine or equipment for which the tool is intended. Nevertheless, such standardization of notch distances presents difficulty if one attempts to use tools of differing manufacturers at random on industrial machines or equipment, such as a press brake. For example, the tools on hand may not conform to specifications of the press brake, and thus, would not be configurable with the tool holders mounted on the tables of such press brake. Although, even if tools were found able to be accommodated by such holders, there would be high potential that corresponding edges and surfaces of the tool and tables would be out of tolerance if the corresponding tool holders were not specifically designed for such tools. Thus, precise positioning mechanisms, for properly locating and seating tools of a variety of sizes and/or geometries, would be desirable for tool holders.
Embodiments of the present invention are intended to the address the above-described challenges (as well as others) with regard to tool holders, whether used with press brakes or other industrial machines and equipment.